The first 9,750 doses of the Pfizer-BioΝTech coronavirus vaccine against Covid-19 arrived in Greece under tight security on Christmas day.
The vaccines will be stored in special areas that meet all the specifications for the storage of medicinal products and from there they will be distributed to the 450 vaccination centers that will be gradually put into operation.
A special plan with the assistance of anti-terrorist units and the participation of more than 4,000 police officers has been drafted by the Hellenic Police (ELAS), under the instructions of the Civil Protection Ministry, for their storage.
Greece expects to receive 300,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses in the first tranche, which means that 150,000 people will be vaccinated initially (vaccines will require two doses per patient), government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Wednesday.
The campaign to vaccinate the population has been described by Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias as the largest of its kind since World War II, while Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has referred to it as “Operation Irini (operation Freedom).”
Meanwhile, Greek health authorities on Friday announced 617 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 in the country, which brought the total number to 134,852.
The number of intubated patients stood at 470 coronavirus patients are currently intubated (median age is 67), while 851 have left ICU.
The National Organization of Public Health (EODY) said 50 people died from Covid-19 in Greece, raising the total number of fatalities to 4,507.
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